A story is told about a soldier who was finally coming home after having fought
in Vietnam. He called his parents from San Francisco. "Mom and Dad, I'm
coming home, but I've a favor to ask. I have a friend I'd like to bring home
with me."
"Sure," they replied, "we'd love to meet him."
"There's something you should know," the son continued, "he was hurt pretty
badly in the fighting. He stepped on a land mind and lost an arm and a leg.
He has nowhere else to go, and I want him to come live with us."
"I'm sorry to hear that, son. Maybe we can help him find somewhere to live."
"No, mom and dad, I want him to live with us."
"Son," said the father, "you don't know what you're asking. Someone with such
a handicap would be a terrible burden on us. We have our own lives to live,
and we can't let something like this interfere with our lives. I think you
should just come home and forget about this guy. He'll find a way to live on
his own."
At that point, the son hung up the phone. The parents heard nothing more from
him.
A few days later, however, they received a call from the San Francisco
police. Their son had died after falling from a building, they were told. The
police believed it was suicide.
The grief-stricken parents flew to San Francisco and were taken to the city
morgue to identify the body of their son.
They recognized him, but to their horror they also discovered something they
didn't know, their son had only one arm and one leg.
The parents in this story are like many of us. We find it easy to love those
who are good-looking or fun to have around, but we don't like people who
inconvenience us or make us feel uncomfortable. We would rather stay away from
people who aren't as healthy, beautiful, or smart as we are.
Thankfully, there's someone who won't treat us that way. Someone who loves us
with an unconditional love that welcomes us into the forever family, regardless
of how messed up we are.
Tonight, before you tuck yourself in for the night, say a little prayer that
God will give you the strength you need to accept people as they are, and to
help us all be more understanding of those who are different from us!!
There's a miracle called Friendship that dwells in the heart.
You don't know how it happens or when it gets started but you know the special
lift it always brings.
And you realize that Friendship is God's most precious gift!
Friends are a very rare jewel, indeed.
They make you smile and encourage you to succeed. They lend an ear, they
share a word of praise, and they always want to open their hearts to us.
Show your friends how much you care.......
|